M. G. Easton · Illustrated Bible Dictionary · Third edition · 1897 · Public domain
Selected original section: Region in the time of Christ
In the time of Christ, Western Palestine was divided into three provinces, Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. Samaria occupied the centre of Palestine (John 4:4). It is called in the Talmud the "land of the Cuthim," and is not regarded as a part of the Holy Land at all.